India’s Electric Passenger Car Market to Reach 1.9 Lakh Units in 2026

“India’s battery and energy storage sector is entering a phase of rapid expansion, with electric mobility, grid-scale storage, domestic manufacturing, and automation expected to drive the next leg of growth,” industry leaders said at a roundtable in Pune ahead of ‘The Battery Show India 2026’. The roundtable brought together industry stakeholders, analysts and manufacturing companies to discuss the evolving electric vehicle (EV), battery manufacturing, and battery energy storage systems (BESS) ecosystem.

Organized by Informa Markets in India, the fourth edition of ‘The Battery Show India’ is scheduled to be held from October 22 to 24 at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, alongside the Renewable Energy India Expo and Energy Storage Summit India.

The roundtable featured senior voices from across the battery, EV, automation, and manufacturing ecosystem, with speakers including Prashant Kharade, Chief Operating Officer, Ador Digatron; Hiren Shah, Managing Director & CEO, Replus Engitech; Prajyot Sathe, Research Director – Mobility – Electric Vehicles, Frost & Sullivan; Suyog Keluskar, Senior Director, IGS, 1Lattice; Manoj Patil, Chairman & Managing Director, Patil Automation Ltd; and Rajneesh Khattar, Senior Group Director, Informa Markets in India.

Discussions at the roundtable underscored India’s rapid evolution from EV adoption to deep-tier domestic value chain manufacturing, grid-scale stabilization, and automation.

India’s electric transition is rapidly moving past two- and three-wheelers into high-volume commercial and passenger applications. Analysts highlighted that fleet economics and national policy are fundamentally reshaping demand.

Speaking at the roundtable discussion, Sathe said, “India’s electric vehicle market has evolved significantly over the past decade, with the country moving from a nascent market in 2015–16 to a market supported by stronger Government initiatives, regulations, and policy backing. Within the EV ecosystem, we see a clear progression from electric two-wheelers to three-wheelers and light commercial vehicles, followed by electric buses, while passenger cars are developing at a later stage. In calendar year 2025, India’s battery electric passenger car market stood at around 178,000 units, compared with approximately 99,000 units in 2024, and we expect it to reach around 180,000–190,000 units in 2026. Looking further ahead, we expect annual passenger EV sales to reach about 1.5 million units by 2032.”

Sathe continued, “The next phase will be shaped by advanced battery systems, supply-chain localization, and interoperable charging infrastructure. LFP has emerged as the dominant chemistry, while sodium-ion, lithium-sulphur, and solid-state batteries are being explored for the next four to six years. Component localization is currently around 50–60 percent and could reach 80–90 percent over the next five to six years, although battery and power electronics are expected to remain below 60 percent. Localization must also deliver cost efficiency to build a competitive domestic ecosystem.”

Reinforcing the systemic nature of this shift, market research firm 1lattice pointed out that adoption signals are transitioning from consumer incentives to total cost of ownership (TCO) dynamics across national infrastructure. 1Lattice Sr Director Keluskar stated, “India is entering a new phase in its energy transition, one where batteries move from being a vehicle story to a national infrastructure story. The market signal is clear: one in eight vehicles retailed in August 2026 was electric, and electric commercial vehicles more than doubled their share to 5.18 percent in a year. That shows fleets are now buying on total cost of ownership, not subsidies.”

Keluskar added, “The bigger shift is happening beyond the showroom. Industry estimates point to advanced cell demand growing nearly tenfold, from about 28 GWh in 2025 to around 272 GWh by FY30, while the grid alone will need 236 GWh of battery storage by FY32. Yet domestic cell output is still close to 1 Gwh. Closing this gap is the defining opportunity of the decade. The advantage will go to players who build domestic depth across materials and cells, bring storage online at scale and on schedule, and shift from selling equipment to guaranteeing performance. That is the foundation on which India’s battery self-reliance will rest.”

As renewable penetration accelerates, stationary battery energy storage systems (BESS) are emerging as critical pillars for round-the-clock power and grid stability. Storage manufacturers highlighted aggressive expansion plans to capture massive domestic and international demand.

Replus Engitech MD & CEO Shah said, “Replus is a technology-driven battery manufacturing company focused on grid-scale and C&I energy storage. We manufacture containerized BESS starting from 5 MWh in a 20-foot container and are currently deploying 1.2 GWh across FDRE, round-the-clock power, solar-plus-storage, standalone BESS, and transmission and distribution applications. Our C&I portfolio includes DG-replacement systems from 100 kW/260 kWh to 500 kW/1 MWh, along with specialized battery packs for data centers, residential applications, and EVs. Our current plant capacity is 1 GWh and is being scaled to 6 GWh, with the additional facility expected to be operational from January 2027.”

Shah further stated, “India has significant opportunities across grid-scale, C&I, and EV battery applications, with projected demand over the next decade of around 480 GWh, 380–400 GWh, and 420 GWh, respectively. As renewable penetration rises, BESS will become increasingly important for grid stabilization, power quality, and demand management. Solar-plus-BESS tariffs at around INR 4.8 per unit versus INR 8.5 for grid power also support the shift towards clean energy. Our business is expected to grow from around INR 1,800 crore this year to INR 4,500 crore next year and cross INR 8,000 crore by 2029, supported by capacity expansion and overseas operations targeting the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.”

Achieving cost parity and safety standards requires advanced domestic automation across cell, module, and pack manufacturing lines. Automation leaders noted that indigenous manufacturing is key to driving down line setup costs.

Patil Automation Chairman & MD Patil commented, “Patil Automation provides complete automation solutions for battery manufacturing, including fully automated lines for cells, modules, and packs. As demand grows across two-wheelers, three-wheelers, four-wheelers, buses, trucks, and battery energy storage systems, ‘Made in India’ is helping reduce line and manufacturing costs. Around 30–35 percent of smaller battery components are already made in India, and this share is expected to reach 70–80 percent in the coming years, driving demand for higher automation and multiple production lines.”

Patil further stated, “Safety, battery life, and traceability are critical, with our systems recording data at every manufacturing stage for complete process monitoring. Over the last two to three years, we have completed 10–15 fully automated base lines and are currently executing more than 15 base lines, along with multiple lines for two-wheeler and automotive batteries. We see potential for INR 700–800 crore in Indian automation-line business over the next three to four years. With solar and other renewable energy increasing the need for BESS to store daytime generation for use at night, demand for batteries, BESS, and containerized solutions is expected to remain strong over the coming decade, alongside data-center requirements.”

Alongside production automation, testing equipment, power conversion systems (PCS), and energy management software (EMS) form the core of domestic self-reliance, reducing external supply dependencies.

Ador Digatron COO Kharade said, “While Ador Digatron operates across the energy sector, we are proud to be an e-mobility company supporting India’s transition to cleaner energy. Our portfolio spans hydrogen power supplies and rectifiers for hydrogen production, EV charging solutions under our Quench brand, and battery technologies. We have been in the battery business since 1996, supporting leading companies with battery formation and testing circuits and have transitioned from lead-acid to lithium-ion technologies over the last four to five years. We now manufacture chargers, formation, and testing circuits, for lithium-ion batteries. In energy storage, we introduced our first PCS last month, offering spring-based PCS solutions from 500 kW to 2.5 MW, and are also exploring the EMS business. By combining PCS and EMS capabilities with batteries made in India, we see a clear pathway towards reducing dependence on China and building a more self-reliant energy-storage ecosystem. The Battery Show India provides an important platform to discuss these developments and the evolving energy and e-mobility ecosystem.”

The choice of Pune for this industry dialogue underscores the city’s preeminent standing in India’s automotive sector. According to the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), the Pimpri-Chinchwad belt houses over 4,000 automotive and ancillary units alongside premier R&D, testing, and certification centers. Under Maharashtra’s EV Policy 2025, Pune is slated to anchor Centres of Excellence for EVs, charging infra, hydrogen tech, and strategic EV battery recycling hubs.

Informa Markets in India Sr Group Director Khattar stated, “India’s electric mobility market is moving into a phase where the scale of adoption is increasingly shaping the requirements for a stronger domestic battery ecosystem. The country recorded nearly 1.97 million EV registrations in FY2024–25, with electric two-wheelers alone accounting for about 1.15 million registrations. This momentum makes it increasingly important to build capabilities not just in vehicle manufacturing, but across cells, battery management systems, power electronics, testing, safety, recycling, and energy storage. Pune, with its strong automotive and engineering ecosystem, is an important part of this conversation. Through The Battery Show India, we aim to connect the wider value chain and create a platform where technology providers, manufacturers, and industry leaders can address the opportunities emerging from India’s accelerating transition towards electric mobility and energy storage.”

For more information: www.thebatteryshowindia.com